Opting for community service over jail time after
he is charged for an assault, the rough-hewn
Robbie (Paul Brannigan) befriends three fellow
layabouts and petty crooks. After meeting
an expert in Scotch whisky, Robbie recruits
his chums for a wild scheme to plunder a few
bottles of extremely rare Malt Mill whisky and
thereby make his fortune - after all, as two
percent of every barrel of whisky evaporates
over the course of a year (the so-called “angels’
share”), Robbie and his mates reason that it
could be put to better use down on earth.
Working wonders with a cast of non-professionals
and making picturesque use of the
lush, rolling Scottish Highlands, Ken Loach and
screenwriter Paul Laverty brilliantly transform
grubby realism into sprightly fable. (TIFF)